Brother 1034D Serger Review

[schrodinger]

On Prime Day a few of us got the 1034D at a great price (~$165 according to my Amazon history).  I'm assuming it might come up again as a Black Friday deal, so I wanted to put a review here with my thoughts in case it helps someone with their Christmas shopping.  [Apologies for the length!]

Overall, I LOVE having this machine.  My main machine was generally finicky with knits.  I don't wear many woven tops and I wanted to be able to make shirts for my work wardrobe.  This sews like a champ on knits and makes wardrobe sewing really easy.  I do almost all construction on the serger, only hemming on my other machine.  There are a few flaws in the design, most of which can be dealt with once you know the flaws are there.

Threading the needles is pretty straightforward, but I find the upper looper a bit tricky.  You have to pull out a lever, place the thread in a V notch, thread it through the next step, then return the lever to it's original position.  Getting the thread just right in the V notch is twitchy.  So far, this has been the only step of the threading process that I consistently have to redo.

Once I got it threaded, using it was simple.  The machine is a bit noisier than I was expecting and it's fast.  It took a bit of getting used to since I'm used to sewing garments at a lower speed.  The presser foot puts a lot more pressure on the fabric than my regular machine, so guiding the fabric took a bit more getting used to.  It's easier to guide at higher speeds than lower.

My "cons" for the machine: It is hard for me to get the edge of the fabric lined up with the seam guides.  The guides are really faint and are not on the bed of the machine (they are on a vertical part).  If you look at the Amazon picture you can see a really faint shadow where the guides are.  The guides also do not have the seam allowances labeled.  This kind of makes sense, since you can sew with one or two needles, but would be nice if there was some kind of indication.  The other con is the bed of the machine is really small and when sewing large or heavy projects it can be hard to keep the fabric from pulling/falling off the table while sewing.  When this happens, my seam gets close to the edge and the loopers don't lie against the edge of the seam, which means that seam is likely to fail if I don't resew it.

For a basic machine, this is a great deal.  It doesn't have a ton of bells and whistles, but for an beginner-level machine it works wonderfully.  If you are used to sewing on a computerized machine, it will take some time to get used to sewing without some of features (auto-lowering of the presser foot is a big one for me).  I would recommend it to anyone at a price point of less than $200.



Tips if you haven't serged before (i.e. learn from my mistakes):
Always thread with your presser foot up.  The height difference of the foot between up and down is really small and it is easy to forget to do.
If you aren't using a needle (i.e. doing a three stitch wide or narrow), take out the needle you aren't using.
The only thread that shows from the right side is the one in the needle that is farthest to the right.  As long as you don't care about looks from the wrong side, only change out this thread as you change fabric colors.  Don't buy three or four cones of each color.
Keep your fingers over the pins as they approach the blades.  The blades don't open wide enough to cut your fingers, but that will help you to remember to pull out the pin before it hits the cutter.
(Not serger related) If you are hemming with a double-needle and getting channeling, try lengthening your stitch a bit before messing around with tension.

[cmeon]

I'm glad you're using it!! So many people let them intimidate them, and they really shouldn't! It sounds like your machine is an easier thread than mine (mine comes with really long tweezers, if that's a clue- LOL)- but, (you're tying on for thread changes, right?) unless you're breaking threads often, it's such a rare thing that it's honestly no big deal.

Have you tried a flatlock hem? I think they're a little casual compared to a coverstitch (or a double needle), but, they're so easy to do and look great on the right piece- and it's a fun technique to master. I was able to get some nice knit hems with a walking foot/twin-needle/hem tape, but, eventually, I just had to get a coverstitch machine.

I do most of my sewing for my kids, where I do visible seams, coverstitches (upside down and right side up), flatlocks, and rolled hems- so, I can't get by with single cones for colors. I buy when Joann's has a good thread sale and an extra % off coupon, though- I never pay more than ~$1.50 a cone- and buy my most used colors in quantities of 7 or 8 so I can load both machines with the same thread. Definitely not necessary at first (or ever, for many people).

Have you tried sewing clips? They're so much better than pins- I only pull pins out for appliques/pockets/non-edge trim. I started with Clover Wonderclips and they're great- but, the much cheaper generics are awesome, too and come in a huge assortment of colors.

With wandering fabric/projects, use your left hand to guide it past the needles. It becomes habit- you can pause the stitching while you move your hand back if you need to.

I would go ahead and mark the seam allowance guides you use the most (likely the one 3/8" and maybe 5/8 or 1/2" away from the left needle). Nailpolish works great for that kind of thing! I often just cut 1/4" seam allowance (and frankly, just eyeball it) and kiss the knife for safety stitch (2 needle) seams, but, technically it's "best" to leave that 1/8" buffer.

Sorry, that was scattered- it took a few attempts to get this done (busy here after school)! I am so glad you're enjoying it- they're definitely a "will always have" item for me!

[shortcake2675]

I use washi tape, but have been known to just have at it with different color sharpies. And I totally eyeball 1/4". I made both of my kids costumes for Halloween with out a single broken thread or needle on the 1034D. I love it!

[schrodinger]

Oct 30, 2017 15:53:00 GMT -5 cmeon said:

I'm glad you're using it!! So many people let them intimidate them, and they really shouldn't! It sounds like your machine is an easier thread than mine (mine comes with really long tweezers, if that's a clue- LOL)- but, (you're tying on for thread changes, right?) unless you're breaking threads often, it's such a rare thing that it's honestly no big deal.

Have you tried a flatlock hem? I think they're a little casual compared to a coverstitch (or a double needle), but, they're so easy to do and look great on the right piece- and it's a fun technique to master. I was able to get some nice knit hems with a walking foot/twin-needle/hem tape, but, eventually, I just had to get a coverstitch machine.

I do most of my sewing for my kids, where I do visible seams, coverstitches (upside down and right side up), flatlocks, and rolled hems- so, I can't get by with single cones for colors. I buy when Joann's has a good thread sale and an extra % off coupon, though- I never pay more than ~$1.50 a cone- and buy my most used colors in quantities of 7 or 8 so I can load both machines with the same thread. Definitely not necessary at first (or ever, for many people).

Have you tried sewing clips? They're so much better than pins- I only pull pins out for appliques/pockets/non-edge trim. I started with Clover Wonderclips and they're great- but, the much cheaper generics are awesome, too and come in a huge assortment of colors.

With wandering fabric/projects, use your left hand to guide it past the needles. It becomes habit- you can pause the stitching while you move your hand back if you need to.

I would go ahead and mark the seam allowance guides you use the most (likely the one 3/8" and maybe 5/8 or 1/2" away from the left needle). Nailpolish works great for that kind of thing! I often just cut 1/4" seam allowance (and frankly, just eyeball it) and kiss the knife for safety stitch (2 needle) seams, but, technically it's "best" to leave that 1/8" buffer.

Sorry, that was scattered- it took a few attempts to get this done (busy here after school)! I am so glad you're enjoying it- they're definitely a "will always have" item for me!

Thanks for all your thoughts! I'm actually rethreading all the time, which doesn't really bug me too much. I have a short shelf to store the machine on and have to lower the thread guide and take the cones off to fit it on there. Doesn't bug me too much anymore although at first it was a huge annoyance. I saw a tutorial on using an old spool to wind a cone and I'm curious to see if that works for me (http://moonthirty.com/serger-thread-hack/).

I love my Wonderclips for most seams, but I've struggled to get them to work any time I have to ease something in. I haven't figured out a good technique for clips with bands/cuffs where I'm stretching one layer. If you have any tips there, I will definitely take them!

Agree that this is a "will always have" item for me. It has taken me quite a few more months than I expected to get really comfortable with the machine because it's so different, but now that I'm more comfortable with it, I am in love!

[cmeon]

Oct 31, 2017 9:45:15 GMT -5 schrodinger said:

Oct 30, 2017 15:53:00 GMT -5 cmeon said:

Thanks for all your thoughts! I'm actually rethreading all the time, which doesn't really bug me too much. I have a short shelf to store the machine on and have to lower the thread guide and take the cones off to fit it on there. Doesn't bug me too much anymore although at first it was a huge annoyance. I saw a tutorial on using an old spool to wind a cone and I'm curious to see if that works for me (http://moonthirty.com/serger-thread-hack/).

I love my Wonderclips for most seams, but I've struggled to get them to work any time I have to ease something in. I haven't figured out a good technique for clips with bands/cuffs where I'm stretching one layer. If you have any tips there, I will definitely take them!

Agree that this is a "will always have" item for me. It has taken me quite a few more months than I expected to get really comfortable with the machine because it's so different, but now that I'm more comfortable with it, I am in love!

I'm sure the "hack" will work- the needles really don't use much thread (totally evident if you never swap cones around). I've thrown regular thread spools (the same I'd use on my sewing machines) on plenty of times (I have even more of those than cones- ha), and even machine wound bobbins (it's enough to get you through smaller projects).

I use the clips on everything, for things like attaching sleeves to the armscye, collars, cuffs, all of it. I really just use them the way I used pins, though, no real tricks- I'm sure it just comes down to preference and practice. I like that I can't miss them going through the knife, though- that is pretty dramatic with pins!!

It's true that once you thread a machine enough times, your hands memorize the motions. I remember how intimidating threading a regular sewing machine used to be- and of course, I could do it blind folded with one hand tied behind my back, now!

[aprilsails]

I picked up a used 1134D last year and my review would be exactly the same! I don’t use it super often but when I do use it I’m always kicking myself for not using it more frequently. It is very easy and effective.

I find it difficult to go around tight curves, but I know I should really be sewing those on my regular machine at a slower speed and then finishing the seam with the serger. I’ve only been using it for punching out quick knit projects for my 2 year old, and it is super fast! So much fun!